We decided to get out of town this weekend and took a trip to the family farm. We had the chance to unplug for a couple of days and find out how off-the-grid we really are in the Russ Bus. Since we weren’t at a campground, we didn’t have any hookups and just parked by a creek.
We were able to stay off-the-grid all weekend while still having power and water!
How did we do it? Great question. I’m glad you asked.
We have a battery bank with two 12-volt, 60-amp hour (120 Ah total) lithium-ion batteries that power the interior of the bus (outlets, water pump, etc.). These run through our inverter to give us power. When the batteries are fully charged, we can run the refrigerator, charge phones, and run a fan or two for about eight hours. We plan to add solar panels to the roof of the bus soon to keep our batteries charged. Until then, we have generator to keep us going.
We filled up our water tanks before we left and had running water all weekend too! We have a full-sized shower in the bus, but since we don’t have a ceiling up yet we don’t have a shower curtain. 😅 This wasn’t a problem though because we just turned our sink faucet around, put it out the window, and had an outdoor shower. It was perfect to rinse off creek water and bug spray before bed.
This was our first time taking the bus “off-grid” since our first trip was at a campground. It was really cool being able to have everything we needed without depending on hookups.
We learned a lot about the bus and what it will be like when we eventually move in, but we also had some fun. 🙂
We also got to hang out with some of our favorite people (somehow I took zero pictures with them – sorry!). My mom was our first official guest in the bus and spent one night on our couch. My dad, my sister, and her fiancé also came and hung out with us (all 6 feet apart, of course).
With all the craziness going on in our world today, it was nice to get away and forget about it for a little while.
And also, s’mores.
-Rachel
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The Rolling Russells 
Are the solar panels in the near or somewhat distant future?
My husband may not know it yet but I’m going to live in an off the grid tiny house one day. Lol.
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Hopefully soon! We’re looking for some good deals on used ones now. Check out Facebook Marketplace!
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I really appreciate you sharing, it gives us ideas too. I’m so happy for you. It would be awesome if you could share this story on The New Skoolie Nation, our Facebook group. Keep in touch and be safe.
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Sounds great 👍. So happy being off the grid, it’s a awesome feeling isn’t it?
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